Category: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Alzheimer’s Protein Detected in Long COVID Patients
Respiratory Therapy Patients with neurocognitive difficulties post COVID-19 infection displayed a significant increase in their blood plasma of a crucial protein linked to neurodegenerative diseases and found in many Alzheimer’s patients. A study of 227 individuals who experienced neurocognitive difficulties post COVID-19 infection – such as headaches, vertigo, balance dysregulation, changes in taste/smell, and brain […]
Jan 14, 2026
Heart Failure Deaths Have Accelerated in US Since Covid Pandemic
Bloomberg The Covid pandemic didn’t just kill people directly. It appears to have accelerated a long-brewing reversal in US heart failure deaths, with mortality climbing faster since 2020 after years of decline, new research shows. The increases have been most pronounced among younger adults and Black Americans, pointing to disruptions in care and worsening conditions such as diabetes, obesity and […]
Jan 14, 2026
Kansas bird flu outbreak is worst in nation
High Plains News “H5 bird flu is widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows with sporadic human cases in U.S. dairy and poultry workers,” according to CDC. TOPEKA — Kansas is suffering from the worst outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the country, with nearly 414,000 […]
Jan 14, 2026
We know how to prevent bird flu. So why aren’t we?
STAT The virus is expected to kill millions of animals this winter. Cheaper egg prices have muted public discussion on one of the most serious threats to American agriculture this century: bird flu. But the problem has not disappeared. In fact, the data suggest that the virus will bring devastating animal and economic losses this winter. […]
Jan 14, 2026
Colorado: An emergency room physician describes why the 2025-26 flu season is hitting hard
The Conversation Colorado is in the midst of a record-breaking flu season. In the week ending Dec. 27, 2025, 831 people were hospitalized with influenza – the most since the state started tracking flu cases two decades ago. Hospitalizations eased the following week to 737 but still remain higher than prior years. Colorado is among the top five states with the […]
Jan 14, 2026
Poultry farms need an avian flu emergency preparedness plan
Watt Poultry Commercial poultry operations should have an avian influenza emergency preparedness plan as a tool to protect the health and safety of workers, veterinarians and anyone else who comes into contact with poultry. Matthew Spencer, U.S. Poultry & Egg Association vice president of HR and safety programs, highlighted basic requirements of such an emergency preparedness plan during the […]
Jan 14, 2026
The expanding H5N1 avian influenza panzootic causes high mortality of skuas in Antarctica
Nature High pathogenicity avian influenza virus H5N1 subtype (H5N1 HPAIV), clade 2.3.4.4b, is expanding its host and geographical range, and invaded Antarctica in 2023. Although mortality in Antarctic wildlife from H5N1 HPAIV has been suspected, mainly based on virological analysis of swabs collected from dead animals, it has not been unequivocally diagnosed. Here we show […]
Jan 14, 2026
The Flu Really Is That Bad
The Atlantic The virus is storming the country, a reminder of how terrible its toll can be. The flu situation in the United States right now is, in a word, bad. Infections have skyrocketed in recent weeks, filling hospitals nearly to capacity; viral levels are “high” or “very high” in most of the country. In […]
Jan 14, 2026
The Best Flu Drug Americans Aren’t Taking
The Atlantic This flu season has been rough. Antivirals can help. Antiviral drugs for influenza, the best known of which is Tamiflu, are—let’s be honest—not exactly miracle cures. They marginally shorten the course of illness, especially if taken within the first 48 hours. But amid possibly the worst flu season in 25 years, driven by […]
Jan 14, 2026
South Carolina confirms 124 new measles cases as outbreak on the Arizona-Utah line grows
AP Health officials in South Carolina confirmed 124 new measles cases since Friday, as the outbreak in the northwestern part of the state balloons following the holidays. There is a second, separate measles outbreak along the Arizona-Utah border, where 418 people have been infected since August. Last year was the nation’s worst year for measles spread since […]
Jan 14, 2026